The Living Ain't Very Good at Holidays Either
by Murayama Tsuru
Summary: A series of holiday-themed oneshots that don't (most likely) involve ghosts. The third story is about how Otae wants Gin to give her something in return for her Valentine's Day Chocolate (even though Kondo was the one who ate it). Needless to say it doesn't go very well... Will be labeled complete until the next holiday I feel like updating for.
1. Kondo's & Otae's Valentine's Day Mishap

**Hello again or for the first time, Murayama Tsuru here. I decided to do another set of holiday-themed oneshots. And the first one just happens to be for Valentine's Day…yes…I know it's a week late…but I was busy (being lazy)…so, here it is, I hope you guys enjoy ^_^**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Gintama; it belongs to Sorachi Hideaki-Sensei**_

Kondo Isao always had mixed feelings about Valentine 's Day. On the one hand, it was a holiday that allowed him to express his love for the wonderful Shimura Tar without seeming too creepy (as if he didn't get enough of that already); but on the other hand, Otae-san never seemed to return his affections. And, to make it worse, whenever he tried to give her the chocolate and flowers he so lovingly picked out for her, she would reject him soundly with a beating and a 'Don't you know it's the girl who's supposed to give the gifts today?'

Whenever this happened, Kondo would feel his usual sense of rejection much more acutely. And, after Otae's rejection of him, he would always give the gifts for his love to the next person, Hijikata Toshiro…for some reason, though, Toshi never seemed to accept the chocolate and flowers with any great happiness. If anything, Kondo imagined his second in command seemed to be in an extremely bad mood on this particular day (and he would cringe whenever Kondo walked into the room).

But this year would be different, for sure! This year, he was going to give those flowers and chocolate to Otae; and maybe, if he was super lucky, she would give him flowers in return! That was Kondo's grand plan that he was going to stick to no matter what!

…But then, Valentine's Day came and went in the blink of an eye and Kondo didn't get to see Otae-san that day as he was extremely busy (for some reason, Toshi seemed relieved about that). So, Kondo resolved that he would enact his plan tomorrow for sure!

But then…a whole week passed by and Kondo was starting to despair that he would never get a break. Lucky for him, though, Kondo managed to sneak away before Toshi got up (apparently, playing hooky is a good idea…) and he did the necessary shopping for his plan to work.

Careful to avoid any other Shinsengumi members (who would undoubtedly turn him into Toshi), the leader of the police organization made his way to his beloved Otae-san's house. on the way, he began thinking of the ways he would give his crush what he bought; most of these plans involved sneaking into her air ducts and hoping she found him before Toshi came searching for him.

On his way there, he passed by the Yorozuya and he thought that maybe, if all went well, he would stop in on the way back and ask Sakata Gintoki for a drink (and beg him to make sure Shinpachi would be able to accept his and Otae's eventual relationship). Suddenly, though, Kondo stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes widening a large amount. After another moment, the leader of the Shinsengumi quickly dashed around the corner of the nearest building so he could watch the scene that had so surprised him without being noticed by those who he was now watching.

On the balcony of the Yorozuya stood both a strangely nervous-looking Otae-san and mostly concealed Sakata Gintoki (all except for the very edge of his wave-patterned Yukata). Even though Kondo could hardly see either Otae-san or Gin-san, he was able to hear the two very clearly.

"Hah?" Said Gin, sounding fairly irritated, "Don't get me wrong, I'd do anything for a chocolate fix, but inn'it a little late for Valentine's Day?"

There was a pause and Kondo had to strain his ears to hear what Otae said next, "That may be, but it took me a whole week to get the recipe perfect. But, if you don't want it, I don't have to give it to you. It is just obligatory 'you, sort of, take care of my younger brother' chocolate after all."

Oh how Kondo wished he could have some of that chocolate! If only Shinpachi were a part of the Shinsengumi instead of the Yorozuya, then Kondo would be the one getting that obligatory 'you, sort of, take care of my younger brother' chocolate! Why couldn't he be in Gintoki's place?!

Kondo heard Gin sigh then, "Fine, if you're that adamant about me eating your chocolate, I guess I could take it off your hands. It is just 'I take care of your little brother very well' chocolate after all. No other special feelings attached at all."

'Well of course there are other special feelings attached to that chocolate!' Kondo wanted to yell. Why else would she have come to the Yorozuya, a week after Valentine's Day with homemade chocolate! There could be no other reason! Kondo was feeling hysterical at this point, ready to go in and strangle Gintoki for being so nonchalant about getting Otae's sweet chocolate (especially since he was such a sweet-tooth).

There was another, slightly longer, pause as Otae handed Gin a wrapped package with the chocolate in it. The silver-haired idiot opened the package and then there was a silence as both he and Kondo took in the dark matter that was Otae's homemade chocolate.

After a long while, Gin said, sounding hesitant, "Um…Otae-san, what is this?"

Kondo could hear the false cheer in Otae's voice as she answered, "It's chocolate, silly. What else would it be?"

"Um…well…I'm not sure that chocolate is supposed to bubble like that…nor, I believe is it supposed to be giving off a poisonous aura…are you sure this is safe to eat…?"

A shudder ran up Kondo's spine as he heard her darkly happy reply, "Is it really such a problem, Gin-san? I'm sure a sweet-tooth like you would like any kind of chocolate given to him. Am I wrong?"

Gin swallowed hard and Kondo could almost feel the nervous smile that was most likely on the silver-haired Samurai's face as he responded, "N-no, there's no problem at all, Otae-sama…t-thank you very much for such a kind g-gift. I'll be sure to…enjoy it…"

"I thought so." Otae said, the tension leaving the air suddenly, "Well then, I must be going, I don't want to be late to Kyu-chan's. See you later. I'll make sure to ask Shin-chan how you liked the chocolate."

Otae then started descending the stairs and Kondo had to retreat even further behind the building he had been hiding behind so she wouldn't spot him and figure out that he had been spying on her (even though that was his normal stalker behavior).

Once Otae had disappeared into the crowd, Kondo came out of hiding just to hear Gin groan, "Ugh, why couldn't she have just bought me chocolate? Doesn't she know I'm not actually going to eat this…now I have to throw it away…I feel bad…for the original ingredients…"

Kondo then heard Gin shut the door to his apartment and a new plan hatched in his mind at that very instant; he had to eat that chocolate! If Gintoki was going to just throw away such a precious gift from his beloved, Kondo would stop him with all his worth.

With his half-assed plan in mind, Kondo walked up the stairs of the Yorozuya and opened the door with a loud slam. Looking rather startled, Gin turned around, Otae-san's chocolate in one hand and the other hand on his Bouken looking as if he was ready to attack whoever this intruder was. But then he saw Kondo and immediately relaxed, "Oh, it's you." He said, lazily sticking his finger into his ear, "What do you want?"

"I want Otae-san's chocolate!" Kondo answered immediately with much vigor

With a weird expression on his face, Gin started, "How did you—"

"I was listening from behind a nearby building." Kondo interrupted, seeing no reason to keep his spying a secret from the silver-haired Samurai

"Of course you did." Gin nodded, a look of mild disgust now on his face, "And since you were being the creepy stalker you are, I guess you heard that this 'chocolate' isn't chocolate so much as dark matter…even you might not want to eat it…"

"I don't care!" Kondo said triumphantly, "I want to eat it anyway! So give it to me, Gin-san!"

Gin rolled his eyes, "Why should I? What would I get out of it?"

"Well…" Kondo said, tapping a finger against his chin, he hadn't actually thought this far. Suddenly he remembered the chocolate he had bought for Otae earlier; although he didn't really want to give up the chocolate, he could if he had to (and, if he really had to, he could just buy Otae-san another box).

"Well?" Gin prompted, seeing as Kondo was too lost in his thoughts to give a good answer

"Well," Kondo said again, coming to a decision, "I could give you this box of Kodiva chocolates I just so happen to have. What do you say to that?"

Gin looked very tempted by the prospect of trading Otae's 'chocolate' for a good box of Kodiva chocolate. But the longer Gin thought about, the less tempted he looked. Finally, Gin shook his head, "Sorry, no deal. I do this, sure, I enjoy the chocolate, but she's sure to find out…and that is a wrath I don't really need. Again, sorry…sort of."

Kondo felt a pang of disappointment, followed right after by a pang of annoyance. Gin-san wasn't even going to eat the chocolate, why did he care if Otae got mad at him for giving it to Kondo. Irritation in his voice, Kondo said, "Then, Gin-san, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to take it by force!"

"What?" was all Gin had time to say before Kondo catapulted himself at the silver-haired Samurai. Quickly moving out of the way, Gin was barely able to dodge the flying chief of the Shinsengumi.

Once Gin moved to what he thought was a safe distance away, he growled, "Dude, what the hell is wrong with you? Do you really want that chocolate that badly?"

"Of course I want that chocolate!" Kondo said as he launched himself at the silver-haired Samurai again

After another narrow dodge, Gin asked incredulously, "Why?"

"Because I love her!" Kondo shouted, launching himself Gin for a third time

Instead of dodging this time, though, Gin seemed to have heard something that made him freeze. Kondo took full advantage of this to take the chocolate out of Gin's hand. Triumphantly, Kondo raised the (almost deadly looking) chocolate high in the air, celebrating his victory.

"I really wouldn't do that if I were you…" Gin warned, but Kondo ignored it; this was a dream come true for him, to be able to eat Otae-san's chocolate (even if he had stolen it).

Just as Kondo was putting the chocolate into his mouth, the door opened and Otae stepped in again saying, "Oh, Gin-san, I forgot to tell you…"

Everything seemed to slow down then as Kondo's mouth couldn't stop itself from closing around all of the chocolate. It tasted…well, Kondo didn't really get the taste as the sight of Otae made him swallow 'his' chocolate immediately after.

After the choking attack that came with swallowing a piece of chocolate whole finished, Kondo said nervously, "O-Otae-san, what are you doing back here? I thought you were going to Yagyuu's house…"

Looking irritated, Otae responded, "I was. But then I forgot that I had gotten chocolate for Shin-chan and Kagura-chan as well…"

"Wait a minute," Gin said, sounding surprised, "You bought those two brats chocolate, but you decided to make it for me? Do you really dislike me that much?"

Otae seemed to disregard that comment and continued speaking, "Gin-san, what is this gorilla doing here? And how did he manage to get my chocolate? I think we may need to call animal control, don't you?"

Gin looked almost sorry for Kondo at that point; but before he could say anything, Kondo brought out the chocolate and flowers he had bought for Otae, "O-Otae-san, here are some gifts in return for the chocolate. It was delicious…!"

The next sound that could be heard was the cracking of knuckles followed by a howling scream of pain

* * *

That evening, Hijikata returned to his room after a long day's work. For some reason, Kondo-san had elected today to be the day he skipped. And although Hijikata wouldn't say this aloud, he really wished his boss would be more responsible sometimes; there was enough trouble without him goofing off…

Hijikata turned on the lights and his brows furrowed in consternation, "Not again…" he growled softly. There was Kondo-san, fast asleep (or unconscious, Hijikata couldn't really tell) on the floor, a half-eaten box of Kodiva chocolates very near. Hijikata had really hoped they gotten passed this already. It was a week passed Valentine's Day, after all.

But there his boss was, consoling himself after another rejection from Shimura Tae. Hijikata sighed, at least there was room for Hijikata's futon this time. As the vice-chief of the Shinsengumi set up his bedding, one question came to mind, what the hell did his boss do to get so beat up?

Hijikata decided not to dwell on it tonight, though. There would always be time tomorrow after all. With one last small sigh, Hijikata turned out his lights.

**And that is the end of that one ^_^ whoo, it was pretty fun to write. I don't usually write Kondo or Otae, so it was interesting to try something different. Well…yeah…that's all I have to say…We shall see if I write a oneshot for Hina Matsuri or not…I haven't thought that far ahead yet…well, see you next update ^_^**

**-****村山鶴**


	2. Snowy Hina Matsuris can beFun too,Kagura

**Hey guys, Murayama Tsuru here. I bring to you another holiday oneshot that's almost in time for Hina Matsuri...it's still the 3****rd**** in San Francisco…or somewhere…Well, at least it's not a week late like the Valentine's Day chapter. Well, hope you guys enjoy ^_^**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Gintama; it belongs to Sorachi Hideaki-Sensei**_

"Gin-chan?" Kagura asked, the red-headed Yato looked nervous and was shifting her weight from one foot to the other

"Yeah?" Gin asked, looking up from his volume of Jump, "What is it?"

"I was wondering…" Kagura started, "could we put out dolls for Hina Matsuri tomorrow?"

"Eh?" Gin said, he had not been expecting that at all, "I don't think we have any Hina dolls. Maybe you should go ask Otose-san. She may be an old bat, but she was once young I suppose. I'm guessing she would have what you're looking for."

"I already asked her, uh-huh. She said that she threw them away a long time ago; something about it being bad luck to keep them hanging around for too long…"

"Huh, that's pretty weird." Gin mused, putting down his Jump finally, "I woulda thought she'd have some for Tama, seeing as she's still technically a girl. But, if that old biddy doesn't have them then I'm afraid you're out of luck."

"But, why don't you have any Gin-chan, uh-huh?" Kagura probed, she still hadn't given up yet

Gin rolled his eyes at that, "Well if you hadn't noticed, Hina Matsuri is for girls. And the last time I went to the bathroom I once again confirmed that I was not a girl. Unfortunately for you, that means I didn't inherit any of Shouyou-Sensei's Hina dolls…now that I think about it, I wonder what happened to those…wait a minute, why did my Sensei even have those things to begin with?"

"Gin-chan," Kagura interrupted Gin mid-rant, "If we don't have them, why don't we go out and buy some, uh-huh?"

"Ah," Gin said in a knowing tone, "that's where you were going with this. I don't really think that we have the money for that kind of thing. Hina dolls can be pretty expensive, you know."

"Come on, Gin-chan, why don't we splurge for once? It's not like you have to buy expensive ones, uh-huh!" Kagura countered, "I just wanna celebrate something once. We never do anything on the holidays!"

Feeling more than a little irritated now, Gin sighed, "Well, that's because we don't have any money to spare. We haven't really been getting any odd jobs at the moment, so it'll be hard to justify spending the money on something like Hina dolls. If you really want to get Hina dolls why don't you get a job and raise the money for them yourself?"

"But that wouldn't be in the spirit of the holiday, would it, uh-huh?" Kagura smiled, "It has to be the parents who buy the Hina dolls. And since my Papi is a good-for-nothing slaying aliens and other monster out in space I can only count on the good-for-nothing down here on earth taking care of me, uh-huh. And that would be you."

"Yeah, thanks," Gin said sarcastically, "everyone enjoys being called a good for nothing."

"So, will you buy me the Hina dolls?" Kagura asked hopefully

"No," Gin answered, "just because you 'complimented' me doesn't change the fact that we don't have the money to buy the Hina dolls. Why don't you go ask Otae? She's probably not old enough to have thrown them away like that old bat."

Kagura looked like she thought that idea was a good one. With a smile she nodded at Gin and started getting stuff ready to leave for Otae's. Thankful that Kagura had stopped asking him to buy her stuff, Gin picked up his Shonen Jump to start reading again.

But before he could start, Shinpachi called out, "Kagura-chan, I didn't really want to interject, but I think I have to now. Aneue does have a full set of Hina dolls but I'm not so sure she'll really be amenable to lending them out…"

"And why would that be Pattsuan?" Gin asked, annoyed that now Kagura would start begging him to go buy the dolls again

"Yeah glasses boy," Kagura added, "why wouldn't Anego want to lend me her Hina dolls for the day."

"Well…" Shinpachi said, sweatdropping, "she still thinks of herself Hina doll age and she thinks that it would be unlucky to take them out of the house…so I'm not sure she'd let you borrow them…"

Kagura looked crestfallen at Shinpachi's words and with a small frown on her face, she started putting her stuff away. Shinpachi turned to Gin who was now glaring at him (for slightly less than selfless reasons). After a short, silent conversation between the two of them, Gin said, "Hey Kagura, there is a solution I can think of that would save money and let you celebrate Hina Matsuri tomorrow."

With a hopeful look on her face, Kagura turned around and asked excitedly, "What is it, uh-huh?"

"Well, why don't we go over to Shinpachi's tomorrow." Gin said, "That way I don't have to spend the money on Hina dolls and Otae doesn't have to take her dolls out of the house. It does seem kinda strange that Otae would adhere to some weird superstition now, though. I imagine that she's a little too…"

Shinpachi's glare cut off Gin mid-sentence, "Well anyways," Gin started again after a nervous gulp, "we should go over to her house tomorrow and celebrate Hina Matsuri there. What do you say, Kagura?"

"Yeah," Kagura agreed, even more excited now, "we should do that, uh-huh!"

"Uh guys," Shinpachi cut in, "you haven't asked if Aneue and I would be ok wit this."

"And why wouldn't she be ok with us coming over tomorrow?" Gin and Kagura asked at the same time

Sensing the hostility that was now coming off both Gin and Kagura, Shinpachi backed off, "W-well, I was just saying is all…you really should ask permission before inviting yourselves over to someone's house…but now that I think about it, I'm sure Aneue would be delighted to see you guys on Hina Matsuri. The more the merrier after all…w-well, I think I should be getting back home now. See you guys tomorrow."

"You're not going to stay for dinner?" Gin asked, some irritation still in his voice for almost making Kagura start begging him for stuff again

"N-not this time…" Shinpachi answered, "Aneue insisted that I eat with her tonight. Wish me luck…"

As Shinpachi hurried out the door, Kagura waved an enthusiastic, "Good night, Pattsuan. See you tomorrow. I can't wait to help set up the dolls, uh-huh!"

Shinpachi mumbled a quick good bye and shut the door behind him. Once it was clear that the glasses clad boy wasn't coming back, Gin said, "Well, I guess you got your wish Kagura-chan. If only I could act like you to get all the sweets I wanted…"

"Well maybe I can teach you how to do it later Gin-chan, uh-huh." Kagura smiled. Gin rolled his eyes and picked up his volume of Jump once again.

* * *

The next morning, Gin was awoken by an outraged cry. Sleep still clouding his mind, Gin stumbled out of his room and groaned, "Kagura-chan, what are you yelling about? Do you even know what time it is?"

Kagura turned to Gin then and practically shouted, "Gin-chan, look outside, uh-huh! You'll see what I've been yelling about then."

"Alright, I got it." Gin groaned again, rubbing his head; it really was way too early for this. Gin made his way to the window to see what had Kagura so upset and he saw a very deep blanket of snow covering the ground as far as he could see.

Just then, the phone rang, making Gin jump. Annoyed (and no longer sleepy), the silver-haired Samurai picked up the phone, "What is it?" he greeted, irritation coloring his voice

"Gin-san, it's me…I have some bad news…" Shinpachi started hesitantly, hearing that Gin was annoyed for some reason

"What is it?" Gin asked again, not having the patience to deal with Shinpachi's dithering at the moment

"It's just, with all this snow in Edo, our dojo seems to have been hit the hardest…the entrance is snowed in and we can't get out…I guess that means we'll have to cancel our Hina Matsuri plans for today…there's always next year though…"

Shinpachi trailed off then and in the background, Gin could faintly hear Otae call out, "Shin-chan, breakfast is ready. I hope you'll stop talking to Gin-san and come join me for breakfast; I made your favorite, fried eggs."

"Ah," Shinpachi's voice sounded a little panicky, "well, it seems I have to go now…I'm really sorry we couldn't celebrate Hina Matsuri together…"

"A shame indeed," Gin said, grateful that he didn't have to suffer eating any of Otae's cooking, "well, I'll tell Kagura the bad news. Have a good breakfast."

Shinpachi groaned quietly and then said one last good bye. Gin then hung up the phone and turned to Kagura who was already looking dejected, "Well," Gin said, "it seems that Shinpachi's dojo has been snowed in and they can't get out. I guess that means we won't be going over there today. Sorry 'bout that. There's always next year, though."

Kagura sighed and pouted but said nothing. Looking sad, the red-headed Yato went back into her closet and shut the door, leaving Gin standing there feeling confused about Kagura's out of character display. Was she really that sad about not getting to celebrate some holiday featuring dolls? Gin really couldn't understand it at all. It's not like the young Yato acted like a girl anyways; picking her nose and eating Sukonbu.

As gin was standing there trying to think of some reason Kagura would want to celebrate Hina Matsuri, he heard a quiet hiccup. 'What?' Gin thought, 'Is she crying? Did this really mean that much to her.'

With a sigh, Gin walked over to Kagura's closet, opened the door, pulled the young Yato freeloader out, and said, "C'mon Kagura, put your boots on, we're going out?"

Blinking in confusion, Kagura could only ask, "Where?" She didn't know why, but suddenly her hope had been rekindled that they would be going over to Shinpachi's dojo.

"Just outside," Gin said with a shrug, "you'll see when we get there." Kagura nodded enthusiastically, quickly put her boots, a scarf, and a hat on and then followed her sort-of boss out the door to the Yorozuya.

Once the two had walked down the steps, Gin stopped suddenly and said, "Well, we're here."

"Hah?" Kagura felt the air being sucked out of her, "What do you mean we're here, uh-huh?"

Gin turned to look at Kagura then, "Well you see, going over to Shinpachi's is gonna be more than a little tough right now. And, I imagine that the stores are all closed because of the snow. So, we're gonna celebrate Hina Matsuri out here."

"How are we gonna do that?" Kagura asked, sounding a little indignant now, "It's not as if you can just make Hina dolls out of snow, uh-huh."

"That's where you're wrong!" Gin said triumphantly, "I can totally make a Hina doll out of snow. Just watch me."

Kagura rolled her eyes as Gin bent down and picked up a clump of snow and started shaping it. As he was working he said proudly, "You see Kagura-chan, it's better this way. If we had gone to Shinpachi's we would most likely had to deal with the put away, which does not sound fun. But this way, if the dolls are made out of snow they'll just melt on their own. It's like the transient nature of all things, or something like that. See, I'm teaching you something Kagura-chan."

"Sure you are Gin-chan," Kagura said with another eye-roll, "I'm learning so much about Buddhism, uh-huh. Are you done yet?"

"Yep," Gin said, holding up his work, "I just finished the Emperor doll. How's it look?"

The 'doll' Gin just finished making didn't look like any doll that Kagura had ever seen before; it was just a misshapen lump of snow. Seeing the silly snow doll made Kagura laugh, though, and between guffaws, she managed to say, "Gin-chan, that's not doll, uh-huh! All you made was a glorified snowball. You're really not meant for this kind of thing are you, uh-huh?"

Glaring slightly, Gin huffed, "Well, if you don't like my craftsmanship, maybe you need a closer look!" and he lobbed the 'Emperor' at Kagura.

Not expecting Gin to throw the snowball at her, Kagura wasn't able to dodge it in time and got a face full of snow, "Hey," she yelled indignantly, "you just threw the Emperor at me. That's treason, uh-huh!"

"Well, you know," Gin said with a smirk, "life is transient. I'm sure the Snow-peror won't mind. He'll just be reincarnated as another snow person."

"Yeah," Kagura countered with a smirk of her own, "I think he's about to get reincarnated right now!" she then picked up a large drift of snow herself and hurled it at Gin.

Even though Gin had been expecting Kagura to throw a snowball at him, he hadn't been expecting one of that size and was unable to dodge in time. Coughing from the snow that got into his mouth, he gasped, "You're gonna pay for that Kagura."

"Not unless you can catch me first, uh-huh!" the Yato taunted, a goofy grin on her face

* * *

Later that evening, the door to the Yorozuya slid open and Shinpachi called out, "Guys, I'm here. I convinced Aneue to let me borrow a couple of her Hina dolls for the rest of the day." But the glasses-clad boy was only met with silence much to his surprise. So he wandered further to see why the other two Yorozuya members were ignoring him.

Shinpachi made it into the main area and saw both Gin and Kagura on the couch. Shinpachi was about to speak when Gin raised a hand, beckoning him over. Confused now, Shinpachi circled the room and saw that Kagura was sleeping, her head resting on one of Gin's shoulder. Gin had a volume of Shonen Jump face down on his knee, as if he had been reading it until Shinpachi had come into the room."

"What were you guys up to?" Shinpachi whispered, knowing now it wouldn't be wise to wake Kagura from her nap

A small smile curved Gin's lips upwards as he whispered in return, "Just bein' her good for nothing earth caretaker."

**And that is the end of that. Happy Hina Matsuri, guys. Yeah, that's all I have to say. See you guys next update which will most likely be White Day on the 14****th****. As always, if you'd like please leave a review, I love to know what you guys think ^_^**

**-****村山鶴**


	3. Gin Isn't Very Good With White Day

**Hey guys, Murayama Tsuru here. Whoo, I made it one time for White Day…that holiday that isn't celebrated where I come from…frankly, I only heard about it when I started reading manga. Well, here's the story, I hope you enjoy it ^_^**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Gintama**_**; it belongs to Sorachi Hideaki-Sensei**

"Hah?" Gin said incredulously as he put his Jump volume down, "You want me to do what?" the silver-haired Samurai was getting pretty sick of people not letting him finish his multiple read-throughs of his Weekly Jump

Gin's questions were only met with a rather venomous smile, as Shimura Tae said, "I believe you heard me Gin-san. I want you to get me a return gift for the chocolate I got you on Valentine's Day. Is that clear?"

"Yeah, I think you've made that part pretty clear. But why do you need me to do that? I didn't even eat your chocolate. Why don't you ask Kondo instead of me?"

"The chocolate wasn't intended for him." Otae answered with the same smile on her face

"That chocolate shouldn't have been given to anyone…" Gin mumbled not so quietly

"And as it would be wrong of me to ask the person who you allowed to steal the chocolate I gave you for a return gift, I'm not going to do that. You have until the end of the day." Otae continued speaking as if Gin hadn't interrupted her at all

"The end of the day?" Gin said, annoyance in his voice, "That's not exactly a generous amount of time you know. Maybe if you had come earlier I'd be able to get you something. But it's too late to come up with any ideas now."

"I was just being considerate of your sleeping habits," Otae countered, "I heard from Shin-chan that you like to sleep late. So I came later so you could get your sleep. Now, you have until the end of the day. At that time I'll come to pick up Shin-chan and receive my gift."

"But—" Gin started, hoping to get another protest in so he could nip this whole present buying thing in the bud

"Until the end of the day." Otae interrupted, "I'll see you then, Gin-san." Before Gin could say anything else, Otae turned and walked out the door, leaving Gin glaring at the place she had just been standing

"Dammit Otae," Gin grumbled, "Why the hell would you spring this on me now? I haven't even given a thought about that incident until you brought it up just now. What am I even supposed to get?"

"I have a suggestion," Shinpachi said, popping his head into the Yorozuya, "why don't you get her some Baagen Das ice cream? She really likes that you know."

"So now you come in, eh?" Gin said with an annoyed scowl on his face, "And no, I can't get her that fancy ice cream. Do you know how expensive that stuff is? IF you spot me the money I'll do it. But I doubt that's gonna happen so back to the drawing board it is."

Shinpachi sighed, "You're so cheap when it comes to buying things for other people, Gin-san. It wouldn't kill you to get her some ice cream, you know. But, if you don't like that idea you could…"

"Why not get her some jewelry from the coin operated vending machine a few blocks away, uh-huh?" Kagura interrupted Shinpachi, sticking her head out of the closet, a grin on her face, "That's something I would want for White Day."

Both Gin and Shinpachi gave Kagura strange looks, "Um…" Shinpachi spoke first, trying to be gentle with his rejection, "I'm not sure Aneue would like that sort of thing, Kagura-chan…"

"Yeah," Gin added, "she doesn't have the mind of a ten year old like you do. I think I need to go to one of the people who know Otae the best; her stalker, Kondo-san."

Shinpachi did not look impressed with that idea, "Gin-san," he said with an annoyed look in his eyes, "You really think that's a good idea? I think you should just get her the Baagen Das ice cream like I suggested…"

"Too late," Kagura answered, "Gin-chan left the second you started talking, uh-huh. Better luck next time."

Shinpachi sighed, "I doubt Kondo-san really knows what Aneue really wants…I'm sure Gin-san will find that my suggestion will be better than anything Kondo-san can give."

"Well," Kagura said, a smile on her face, "will shall see at the end of the day, uh-huh"

* * *

"So," Kondo said, a grin on your face, "Otae asked you to get her something for White Day and you've come to me for advice because you don't know what yo get her. Well you've come to the right place, Yorozuya, I know everything my precious Otae-san likes!"

Gin sighed, he was beginning to think that this was a bad idea, Kondo seemed much too excited to help out with this particular task, "Of course you do, Stalker-san," Gin said, "so, what are some of your brilliant ideas? I do need to get her something by the end of the day, so if would be nice if we could hurry this up."

"Yes, yes," Kondo nodded, "we wouldn't want to keep Otae-san waiting would we. From my vast experience observing Otae I have learned that she likes Baagen Das ice cream especially well."

"Yeah," Gin said after rolling his eyes, "I could tell you that. And I didn't need to stalk her to find that out. I've already rejected that idea, can you suggest something less expensive? My wallet isn't exactly all that heavy at the moment."

"Oh…" Kondo said, a concerned look on his face, "then you might have a problem. I've also observed that Otae-san has more expensive taste…you might just have to splurge in order to keep her happy…"

"Well," Gin said, coming up with an idea, "maybe my purse isn't heavy enough. But, if the chief of the Shinsengumi were to lend me some money then it would be easier for me to get something for the girl he stalks. What do you say to that?"

"I don't know," Kondo replied, looking a little uneasy, "I'm not sure Toshi would approve of this…we're not that well off either, you know. Being the chief of the Shinsengumi doesn't pay all that well at the moment…but, if it'll make Otae happy then…"

"Also," Gin said, "I believe it was you who ate Otae-san's chocolate. Doesn't that mean you have some responsibility to give her a return gift?"

"I guess so…" Kondo nodded, still sounding a little reluctant, "I guess I could lend you some money…just make sure you pay me back before Toshi finds out I lent it to you…he's a little strict about money."

"Yeah, yeah I got it." Gin said noncommittally, "So, how much is Baagen Das ice cream anyways?"

* * *

"Well?" Otae asked again, her foot tapping impatiently on the ground, "Where is he, Shin-chan? The sun is about to set as you can see."

Shinpachi chuckled nervously in response, "I'm sure he'll be here soon Aneue…there was probably a line or something…why did you want Gin-san to get you something for White Day again?"

"Well, as you know I made him chocolate for Valentine's Day so I just thought it would be a nice gesture for him to give me something back since I worked so hard on making that chocolate for him. Is there something wrong with that, Shin-chan?" Otae replied with a smile that was less than friendly

"T-there's nothing wrong with that at all…" Shinpachi stuttered, sensing the tension. Thankfully, there was a sound at the door and Shinpachi stood up quickly, saying, "I'm sure that's Gin-san now, Aneue, I'll just go let him in."

Before Otae could say anything in reply, Shinpachi was already opening the door announcing a little too loudly, "Oh, Gin-san, there you are. It seems you have shopping bags with you."

"What are you yelling for?" Gin's voice came floating in through the door, "Oh," he said after a short pause and a look from Shinpachi, "well you're right on time, Otae-san. I have your gift for you. I hope you enjoy it."

"What is it?" Otae asked

"Well," Gin said, moving Shinpachi out of the way so he could enter his house, "after a lot of deliberation, I decided to get you some Baagen Das ice cream."

"I'm amazed, Gin-san," Otae smiled as she stretched out her hand for the bag, "I'm amazed that you could be so thoughtful."

Gin smirked in response, "Of course I was able to come up with a good gift. Here you go. Enjoy."

Otae took the bags out of Gin's hands with a smile. But it was suddenly replaced with a frown, "Why are these bags so light?" she asked

Gin suddenly found everything except Otae more interesting as he said, "Well, I got a little hungry on the way home…and I've always wanted to know what you see in this ice cream so I had a little taste."

"A little taste?" Otae asked, not impressed with Gin's explanation, "You ate most of the ice cream…I guess I really should have expected this from a sweet tooth like yourself."

"Hey," Gin growled indignantly, "I got you something else too, you know. On the way back, I passed by a jewelry stand and got you something."

Shinpachi had a sinking feeling in his gut as Gin said that, and that feeling proved true when Gin pulled a plastic egg from somewhere in his Yukata and handed it to his sister. Otae raised an eyebrow at the egg and asked, "Where in the world did you get this? I don't recall any jewelry stores wrapping their merchandise in plastic eggs."

"Well, you know the saying," Gin said with a shrug, "Good things come in weird packages. Just open it."

"I don't that you have that saying right Gin-san," Shinpachi sighed. But he was ignored as Otae took the tape off the plastic egg. She looked at what was inside it and an eyebrow rose in suspicion

"What is this, Gin-san? Did this come from that coin operated thing outside the Oedo store?"

"It seems that I have something to do." Gin said suddenly, "So I think I'll just go do that now."

Otae looked like she wanted to do some more questioning, but before another word could escape her lips, Gin was gone his shoes sounding like thunder as he bolted down the stairs. Once Gin was out of earshot, a dark smile appeared on Otae's face and after a moment she had disappeared from the Yorozuya as well.

Shinpachi sighed as he saw a flash of silver hair in the distance and then a glimpse of a pink Kimono fairly close behind, at least it was an interesting White Day this year. Shinpachi sighed again and then called out, "Kagura-chan, what do you want for dinner?"

**And that is the end of that ^_^ happy White Day everyone…I don't have anything else to say now so as always if you'd like please leave a review, I love to know what you guys think. See you next holiday.**

**-****村山鶴**


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